A thought on why art is so difficult to define:
If art-making is essentially 'right brain,' 'intuitive,' meaning not of the discursive, logical sides of our minds, then it can never be explained in the language of scientific verification, can it. I think the best art criticism attempts to bridge the chasm. But nothing in the 'discursive' world can explain art, let alone art-making, or predict its occurrence. You might as well talk about shivers if you want to talk about art, as Emily Dickinson did. If you get goosebumps, or are breathless, or feel threatened, or have a sense of awe, if you melt looking at a painting, then, yes, very likely you are before a work of art that is transforming you.
